Thankful Thirteen

I posted yesterday about how we are in a tough season, but I wanted to share some things that we are SO thankful for in the midst of the hard times. I don't want anyone to misunderstand the fact that we KNOW we are in a tough time, but it'll get better. We have also seen the Lord provide for us time and time again both emotionally and physically. I'd have to be a robot to have six kids nine and under and not be in a tough time. It's HARD, ya'll! We know that the Lord is preparing us for big things. I'm always telling the kids God must have GREAT things in store for our family because we get tested a LOT. SO, here are my thankful thirteen. I could have more, but THankful and THirteen sound catchy...

1. I only have one more child to potty train. The thought of never buying diapers again by this time next year about makes me break into sobs. Happy sobs. Dude, I even threw all the bottles away last week! That also means no more formula. I'll see you at the salon for my weekly mani/pedi. Well with all the money I'm saving!!
2. I don't have baby fever! This is the FIRST time I haven't had baby fever. I'm so thankful that the Lord has turned my heart towards the path that we are walking down now. It's fun to be in that new stage of raising kids. Not just birthing them.
3. Manly's clinic is doing REALLY well right now. This is a HUGE blessing. He's had faith when mine has faded. I basically begged him to get a different job a few months back, but he was sure that the Lord was calling him to stay put. He was right. I was wrong. We've been blessed beyond belief just in the past few weeks with full schedules and new clients. I'm so proud of Manly and the passion he has for his job and for helping people. God's using him to do GREAT things for the people in our town.
4. My parents are about to begin building their dream home. This makes me so thankful. They've both worked HARD their entire lives, and I'm so happy the Lord is blessing them with their dream home. I can't wait to be part of this fun experience with them.
5. I have new cute accents in my home that put a smile on my face when I see them! I mean teal and burlap chevron. Need I go on?
6. We finally have grass growing in our back yard! This is a really big deal, and hasn't come easily. I'm so thankful at the thought of being able to walk around back there with my shoes off this summer in the squishy grass. Have I mentioned I LOVE being barefoot outside in the summer?
7. We are part of a church where we feel shepherded and loved and appreciated. It's the happiest we've ever been in a church home. It's the closest thing to home we've ever experienced. We are plugged in, learning, sharing, and loving.
8. For the first time EVER Manly and I are both part of the worship team. Anyone who knows me personally knows that singing on the worship team makes my heart happier than just about anything else in the world! Having Manly be part of that has been SO much fun! He's on the other side of my microphone, but I LOVE having him up in the sound booth helping me to sound good. He's learned LOTS in the last few months, and I'm proud of the job that he does, and so thankful that he supports me, and that we get to laugh at our mistakes together.
9. Mia likes to hug. You have NO idea how much I HATE hugging anyone OTHER than my own children. I just don't like to hug. My Mia is my polar opposite. She wants to hug anyone anywhere. It's like she has a "you need a hug radar." She'll just run up and hug people tight and long. She's teaching me to step outside my boundaries and hug people every now and then. Sometimes you just need a hug! Now, don't you all come find me and hug me the next time you see me! Ha!
10. My sister-in-law Stephanie volunteers to keep my kids. I know that the thought of six kids scares lots of people, but she does it happily. I'm SO thankful that she takes time out of her week every Thursday and comes to play with and invest in my kids. They love her, and I know that she takes the best care of them.
11. We lived on SUCH a tight budget for such a long time that I forgot what take-out was like. In the past few months we've been able to add it back into our budget from time to time and I'm SO thankful for the easy deliciousness of Buffalo Wild Wings naked tenders with parmesan garlic sauce for lunch. It's like sunshine on a cloudy day. I think I'll go order some now...
12. I've always found a connection to Beth Moore. I can sit through her video studies and come away with pages of notes. Last Wednesday I decided to visit our Ladies study, and they were watching a video about secrets. I have no idea what the study is called, but in the time that I was there I learned that Satan lives in the space between the you that you portray publicly and the real you. That's a BIG slice of wisdom right there! I was SO thankful the Lord put that before me last week. I've chewed on it since then. I pride myself on being a very open and honest person, but there is always space. Such a good word from Beth Moore.
13. Manly recently bought a beautiful new(to us) Ford Explorer. I mentioned it yesterday, but you should know that I am SO thankful the Lord has blessed us with TWO cars that our family will fit in, and two vehicles that I can actually drive. The past few months left us with a standard, which I am completely incapable of driving. I'm so thankful that we have two cars we can both drive the kids around in now. Thankful for provision!